System including pen and touch controller, method executed by pen, pen, and touch controller

Abstract

An active pen and a touch controller are configured to use a frame F including a plurality of temporally separated time slots TS0 to TSm to transmit and receive signals with each other. Each of the active pen and the touch controller can transmit and detect a reference signal for synchronizing a frame position, which is a temporal position of the frame F, and upon detecting the reference signal acquires the frame position based on the reference signal and operates according to the acquired frame position. The active pen is configured to transmit, when changing a master of the synchronization, a reference change signal CH indicating that the active pen itself is the master of the synchronization.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An integrated circuit configured to control a pen to perform two-way communication with a touch controller, wherein
 the integrated circuit:
 performs a detection operation of a reference signal according to a frame position acquired on a basis of a previous reference signal transmitted from the touch controller and received by the pen; 
 determines whether or not the reference signal is received in the detection operation; and 
 transmits, from the pen, a reference change signal indicating that the pen is to be a master of synchronization of the frame position when the reference signal is not received in the detection operation. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The integrated circuit according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the reference change signal is a signal in which any one of a different bit value, a different frequency, a different phase, and a different signal is used to notify that the pen is to be the master of synchronization, and 
 the integrated circuit repeatedly transmits the reference change signal. 
 
     
     
       3. The integrated circuit according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the integrated circuit repeatedly transmits the reference change signal. 
 
     
     
       4. The integrated circuit according to  claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit transmits the reference change signal to the touch controller when the reference signal is not received in the detection operation and a predetermined condition is satisfied. 
     
     
       5. The integrated circuit according to  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined condition is that the pen is making a contact. 
     
     
       6. The integrated circuit according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the predetermined condition is that the pen is making a contact, and 
 the integrated circuit determines that the pen is making a contact based on a pen pressure value indicating a pressure applied to a pen tip of the pen. 
 
     
     
       7. The integrated circuit according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the integrated circuit transmits the reference change signal while the master of synchronization is the touch controller. 
 
     
     
       8. The integrated circuit according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the integrated circuit transmits the reference signal at least once at a same time as the transmission of the reference change signal or after the transmission of the reference change signal. 
 
     
     
       9. The integrated circuit according to  claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit receives a reference change signal indicating that the touch controller is to be the master of synchronization. 
     
     
       10. A method executed by an integrated circuit included in a pen to perform two-way communication with a touch controller, the method comprising:
 performing a detection operation of a reference signal according to a frame position acquired on a basis of a previous reference signal transmitted from the touch controller and received by the pen; 
 determining whether or not the reference signal is received in the detection operation; and 
 transmitting, from the pen, a reference change signal indicating that the pen is to be a master of synchronization of the frame position when it is determined that the reference signal is not received in the detection operation. 
 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the reference change signal is a signal in which any one of a different bit value, a different frequency, a different phase, and a different signal is used to notify that the pen is to be the master of synchronization, and 
 the method comprises repeatedly transmitting the reference change signal. 
 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 10 , comprising:
 repeatedly transmitting the reference change signal. 
 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 10 , comprising: transmitting the reference change signal to the touch controller when it is determined that the reference signal is not received in the detection operation and a predetermined condition is satisfied. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the predetermined condition is that the pen is making a contact. 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the predetermined condition is that the pen is making a contact, and 
 the method comprises determining that the pen is making a contact based on a pen pressure value indicating a pressure applied to a pen tip of the pen. 
 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 10 , comprising:
 transmitting the reference change signal while the master of synchronization is the touch controller. 
 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 10 , comprising:
 transmitting the reference signal at least once at a same time as the transmission of the reference change signal or after the transmission of the reference change signal. 
 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 10 , comprising: receiving a reference change signal indicating that the touch controller is to be the master of synchronization.